Trolley.



, sure against the Wheel at all times, so as to insure a constant contact of the wheel with JNITED STATES PATENT OFFicE.

MICHAEL P. CREAl-IAN, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

.TR LLEY.

srncrrrcazrron ming part of "Letters Patent'No. 700,134, dated May 13, 1902.

Applicationtiled October 25, 1901. Serial No. 79,973. (No model.)

To all whom it nzay concern:

Be it known that I, MICHAEL P, GREAT-IAN, a 1

citizen of the United States ofAmerica. residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements 'in Trolleys, of which the following is a specification,

reference being had. therein to the accompa- I the trolley-wheel with the'current-wire and to prevent the liability of the wheel leaving the Wire by reason of irregularities in the latter, vibrations given to the trolley-pole, or other causes.

While the main object of the invention is to so construct the trolley as to materially decrease its liability to leave the wire, another object is to so construct the same as to have the center, of the trolley-wheel in line with the pole when the trolley-wheel is in engagement with the wire and to so construct thetrolley as to permit of the Wheel havingia vertical movement and in connecting a spring or springs to the wheel in such a manner that the wheel will when the pole moves downward but a slight distance still remain incontact with the wire due to the'action of the spring orsprings.

Briefly described, my invention consists in connecting a suitable bracket-arm to the upper end of the trolley-pole, j ournaling a harp or fork in said bracket arm, with the trolleywheel'mounted in the harp or fork, and connecting a spring or springs to the trolley wheel in such a manner as to exert an upward presthe wire.

In describing the invention in detail reference will be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and wherein like numerals of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views on the drawings, inwh'ich' o Figure l is a side elevation of my improved trolley, showing the wheel in the position it 'form of construction.

occupies when in contact with the wire, the

trolley pole being broken away. Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing the wheel in the positrolley, showing how same is constructed for the double current-wire.

Fig. 0 is a detail side elevation of the preferred form of trolleyharp, and Fig. 7 is a like view of a modified form of construction for the trolley-harp.

In overhead-trolley systems it is the practice to employ a hollow trolleypole, (indicated in the illustration of my invention by the numeral 1.) To construct my improved trolley, I'connect a bracket-arm to the upper end of this pole 1 and have a spring-pressed wheel mounted in this bracket-arm; This bracket- :arm I preferably form of a segment-shaped piece of tubing 2, which has brazed or otherwise connected to the one end thereof a fitting 3. This fitting 3 is inturn brazed or other wise suitably securedtothe upper endof the trolley-pole 1. The other end'of the tubing 2 has brazed or otherwise secured thereto a fitting 4, which forms a barrel or sleeve for the journal-shaft 5 of the trolley-harp 6, the latter having a shaft 7 mounted therein, with :the trolley-wheel 8 carried thereon. In the preferred form of construction the journalshaft 5 is constructed of a piece of tubing and the harp 6 may be cast or otherwise made in one piece, the two cheek-pieces extend- ,ing upwardly from a base which carries a downwardly-extending stud or pin 6, that is brazed or otherwise suitably secured in :the upper end of the hollow journal-shaft 5, This hollow journal-shaft is constructed with a head or enlargement 5 on its lower end to'en-' gage the underneath end of the-barrel or,

sleeve' l and limit the upward movement of the shaft in its barrel or sleeve. The shaft 7, that is journaled in the cheek-pieces of the harp, extends outwardly on each side, and rigidly connected onto the trolley-pole, near the upper end thereof, is a flat spring 9, bifurcated at its free end to form the two prongs or forks 10, each of which is provided with an oblong slot 11 to receive the projecting ends of the shaft 7. This spring being fastened on the upper face of the trolley-pole it will be observed that the same lies directly over the upper end of the fitting 3 and also over the space between the end of the pole and the trolley-wheel, so that should the trolley-wheel at any time leave the wire and the spring (not shown) which is connected to the lower end of the pole move the pole so that its wheel would be above the current-wire it will be impossible for the guy-wires to engage in the 'fitted therein and suitably brazed or otherwise secured. A tubular journal-shaft 14, carrying the same formof trolley-harp as shown in Fig. 6, is fitted to work in the barrel or sleeve 12. Instead of the head 5 on the lower end of this journal-shaft in this construction I connect into the lower end of the journal-shaft a tubular stem or rod 14, carryinga head 15 on its lower end. This stem or tube 14' passes through a plug 16 in the lower end of the barrel or sleeve 12 and surrounding the stem 14. Between the plug 16 and the lower end of the journal-shaft is a coil-spring 17, which assists the spring 9 in exerting pressure against the trolley-wheel. In this view, Fig. 3, the trolley wheel is shown in the position it would occupy when in contact with the current-Wire overhead.

In Fig. 7 of the drawings I have shown a modified form of construction for the trolleyharp. This harp I form from a single piece of tubing 18 and split the upper ends thereof to form the two cheek-pieces of the harp 19. A head or button 20 is brazed or otherwise connected to the lower end of the tubing. This form of trolley-harp, it will be observed, may be employed in the constructions shown in Figs. 1 and 2 exactly as it is shown in Fig. 7 but when employed in the construction shown in Fig. 3 the button 20 on the lower end of the tubing will be dispensed with and the stem 14: will be brazed into the lower end of the tubing.

In Fig. 5 I show the application of my improved trolley to systems employing two current-wires overhead and dispensing with the ground connection. In such systems I simply employ a forked fitting 21, onto which I connect the springs 9, the fitting being brazed or otherwise suitably connected to the trolley-pole 1. Two bracket-arms and two trolley-harps will be employed in this construction, and they may be made either as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 or as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

With this construction I desire to call attention to the fact that when the trolleywheel is in contact with the wire, as shown in Fig. 1 or Fig. 3, the center of the trolleywheel is in direct line with the center of the trolley-pole, thus insuring a surer contact of the wheel with the wire at all times, for as the con terof the trolley-wheel rises above the central line of the trolley-pole the greater becomes its tendency to leave the current-wire. While the spring at the lower end of the trolley pole (not shown) exerts its pressure against the trolley-pole to retain the wheel in contact with the current-wire, this wheel is also under the pressure of the spring 9 or springs 9 and 17, of the form shown in Fig. 3,

and should the trolley-pole receive vibrations,

due to the uneven road-bed, irregularitiesin the current-wire, or other causes, so as to move the upper end of the same downwardly, the spring 9, exerting its pressure against the wheel, holds the latter against the wire, so the upper end of the pole descends until the limit of the vertical movement of the wheel is reached, thus necessitating a considerable movement of the upper end of the pole in order to effect a disengagement of the wheel from the wire and in general practice sufficient to prevent the wheel leaving the wire from any ordinary causes.

In trolley systems employing the two overhead wires and dispensing with the ground connection it is not often that the two wires are parallel with each other, one being above the other a slight distance, and in such cases it will be observed that both wheels will always be in constant contact, as the spring 9 or 9 and 17 will hold the wheel engaging the higher wire in the same contact as the wheel engaging the lower wire.

Having fully described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combination with a trolley pole, a bracket-arm connected to the upper end thereof, a harp journaled in said bracket-arm, and a forked spring connected to the trolley-pole and to the axle of the trolley-wheel, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a trolley, the combination with the trolley-pole, of a tubular bracket-arm connected to the upper end of the pole, a harp j ournaled in said bracket-arm, a trolley-wheel mounted in said harp, and a forked spring connected to the trolley-pole with slotted ends engaging the axle of the trolley-wheel, as and for the purpose described.

3. In a trolley, the combination with the tubular trolley-pole, of a tubular bracket-arm connected to the upper end of the pole and having a barrel or sleeve on its free end, a trolley-harp having a tubular journal-shaft fitted in said sleeve or barrel, a trolley-wheel mounted in said harp, and a forked spring connected to the trolley-pole and having forked ends engaging the axle of the trolleywheel. I

4. Inicombination with a trolley-pole, a

bracket-arm connected to'the upper end thereof, aharp journaled in said bracket-arm and carrying a wheel having its axis in line with the trolley-pole when the wheel is in full con tact with the wire, and a spring connected to the trolley-pole and having a' slotted end to receive the axle of the trolley-wheel, substantially as described.

5. In'a trolley, the combination with the trolley-pole, of a tubular segment-shaped bracket-arm connected to the upper end of the trolley-pole, a trolley-harp journaled for ver tical and rot-ative movement in said bracketarm, a wheel mounted-in said harp and adapt-' pole, a barrel or sleeve carried by said bracketarm at its outer end, a tubular journal-shaft fitted to the slide vertically in said barrel or sleeve, a harp carried by' the said journalshaft, a trolley-wheel mounted in said harp and adapted to lie with its axis in central longitudinal alinement with the trolley-pole when the wheel is depressed by contact with the current-wire,'and a springexerting its pressure at all times against the wheel tohold the latter in contact with the current-wire, substantiallyv asdescribed.

1 7. Ina trolley, the combination witha trolley-pole, of a bracket-arm connected to the upper end thereof, a harp journaled for vertical movement in said bracket-arm, a trolleywheel mounted insaidharp andadapted when in full contact with, the trolley-wire to have its axis in line with the trolley-pole, and

pole and its other end engaging the axle of the trolley-wheel, as and for the purpose described;

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of twovwitnesses.

MICHAEL P. CREAHAN.

Witnesses: A V

JOHN NOLAND, A. M. WILsoN.

.a spring connected to one endof the trolleyp 

